How to Fix a Leaking Tap in Hinckley

Published August 2026 | Leaking Tap Repair

This guide walks you through how to diagnose and repair a leaking tap at home, covering the most common causes and the tools you'll need to sort it yourself. It's written for Hinckley homeowners who want to tackle a dripping tap before calling a plumber - whether that's to save money or simply to understand what's going on before a professional arrives.

Before You Start - Safety First

Before you touch anything under the sink or behind the tap, you need to turn off the water supply. Don't skip this step - even a slow drip can turn into a significant flow once you loosen internal components.

Most homes have isolation valves fitted to the pipes under the sink. These are small inline valves with a flat-head screw slot - turn the slot 90 degrees so it runs across the pipe rather than along it, and the water to that tap is off. If you can't find isolation valves, you'll need to turn off the main stopcock, which is usually under the kitchen sink or inside an airing cupboard. Once it's off, open the tap fully to release any residual pressure and drain the water sitting in the pipe.

Put the plug in the basin before you start disassembling anything. Washers, O-rings, and small screws have a habit of dropping straight down the plughole. It's a frustrating and avoidable problem, so take thirty seconds to block the drain first.

What You Will Need

The parts and tools required depend on your tap type. There are three types commonly found in UK homes: traditional pillar taps with separate hot and cold handles, mixer taps, and ceramic disc taps with a quarter-turn action. The repair process differs between them, but the toolkit is largely the same.

Tools:

• Adjustable spanner or basin wrench
• Flathead and cross-head screwdrivers
• Allen key set (some tap handles use grub screws rather than visible fixings)
• Slip-joint pliers
• PTFE tape
• A cloth or old towel to protect chrome fittings from the spanner jaws

Materials:

• Replacement tap washers - a mixed assortment pack costs around 2 to 5 pounds from any hardware shop
• O-ring replacement kit, typically 3 to 8 pounds
• Replacement ceramic cartridge if applicable, commonly 8 to 25 pounds depending on the tap brand
• Silicone grease or plumber's assembly grease

Time estimate: Allow 30 to 60 minutes for your first attempt. If you're confident with basic DIY, you'll likely be done in 20 minutes. If you run into seized components - which is common in older properties - it could take a little longer.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Identify where the leak is coming from

Not all tap leaks are the same, and identifying the source before disassembling saves time. A drip from the spout when the tap is fully off usually points to a worn washer or a failed ceramic disc. Water weeping from around the base of the tap body, or from around the handle itself, typically indicates a deteriorated O-ring or gland packing failure. Turn the tap on briefly with the water supply still live and watch carefully where the water appears first - that's your diagnostic step, and it makes the repair far more targeted.

Step 2: Remove the tap handle

Most tap handles are secured by a grub screw hidden under a decorative cap at the top of the handle. Prise the cap off gently with a flathead screwdriver, then undo the screw underneath. The handle should lift off cleanly. If it's stuck - which happens regularly with older fittings - try rocking it gently from side to side rather than pulling hard upwards. Forcing it can crack the handle or damage the stem below.

Step 3: Remove the headgear or cartridge

Below the handle you'll see a large hexagonal nut called the headgear. Use an adjustable spanner wrapped in cloth to undo it anticlockwise. Once loose, lift the headgear out of the tap body. At the base of the headgear stem, you'll find the washer held in by a small brass nut. On ceramic disc taps, there's no washer - instead, you'll pull out a self-contained cartridge unit. Note the orientation carefully before removing it, because fitting a cartridge backwards is a common mistake that stops the tap working correctly.

Step 4: Replace the washer or ceramic cartridge

For a traditional tap, undo the small retaining nut at the bottom of the headgear and swap the worn washer for a new one of the same diameter. It should sit flat and fit snugly in the recess. If the old washer is cracked, deformed, or has a groove worn into it, that's your leak. For ceramic disc taps, inspect the cartridge - if the ceramic disc inside is chipped or cracked, the whole cartridge needs replacing. Cartridges are manufacturer-specific, so note the brand stamped on the tap or cartridge body. Common UK brands include Bristan, Grohe, and Pegler, and their cartridges are widely available online or at plumber's merchants.

Step 5: Check and replace the O-rings

While the tap is apart, check the O-rings on the headgear body. These rubber rings seal the connection between the headgear and the tap body, and they degrade with age and heat. If you can see cracking, flattening, or any visible deformation, replace them now - they're cheap and easy to swap while you've already got everything apart. Apply a thin smear of silicone grease to the new O-rings before fitting them. This helps them seat correctly and extends their working life significantly. If your tap was leaking around the base rather than the spout, a failed O-ring is almost certainly the reason.

Step 6: Reassemble and turn the water back on

Put everything back in reverse order. When you refit the headgear nut, tighten it firmly but avoid over-torquing - applying too much force on older fittings can crack the tap body or strip the thread. Turn the isolation valve back on slowly and watch the joints for any weeping. Then turn the tap on and off several times and observe the spout closely. If the washer or cartridge replacement was successful, the drip should be gone.

Step 7: Recheck after 24 hours

Leave the tap for a full day before calling the job done. Some slow leaks only reveal themselves under normal household water pressure over time. Our engineers always recommend this buffer period - it catches the occasional slow seep that isn't obvious immediately after the repair. If everything is dry the following morning, you're done.

What to Do If This Does Not Fix It

If you've replaced the washer and O-rings and the tap is still dripping, there are a few other possibilities worth investigating.

The tap seat is the most likely culprit. This is the metal surface inside the tap body that the washer presses against to create the seal. Over time - particularly in areas with harder water - the seat can become pitted and roughened, which means even a brand-new washer won't seal it properly. You can re-face a worn tap seat using a tap reseating tool, which you can hire from a tool hire company. It's a slightly more involved job but still within DIY reach if you're comfortable with the process.

If your property has hard water, check for limescale build-up on the headgear thread and internal components. Parts of Leicestershire see moderate limescale accumulation, and in some older properties this can cause the mechanism to seize partially or fail to close fully. A proprietary descaling solution applied to the components can free things up, but if corrosion is extensive, replacement is the more reliable fix.

Also check the PTFE tape on any threaded connections you've disturbed. If water is getting past a joint, applying a few extra wraps of PTFE tape clockwise around the thread and retightening will often stop it. Use four to six wraps and always wind in the same direction as the thread tightens.

The Voltrade GoFIX diagnostic tool is useful here if the leak persists - it walks you through a structured set of checks to identify whether the problem lies with the washer, seat, cartridge, or a pressure issue further back in the system, which helps avoid unnecessary strip-downs.

When to Stop and Call a Professional

There are clear situations where continuing with a DIY repair is the wrong call, and knowing when to stop is as important as knowing how to start.

If the tap body itself is cracked - which can happen with older ceramic taps or if excessive force has been applied - no amount of washer replacement will resolve it. A cracked body means the tap needs replacing entirely, and that involves disconnecting the supply pipes and possibly fitting a new tap seat. This is a job for a qualified plumber.

If you cannot isolate the water supply to the tap, do not proceed. Working on a pressurised system without isolation risks a significant flood, and in properties with concealed pipework the resulting damage can be expensive to repair.

If the water appears to be coming from behind the wall, under the floor, or from a joint further along the pipe rather than from the tap itself, stop and call a plumber. What looks like a tap leak can sometimes be a symptom of a failing compression fitting or even a pinhole in the pipework - problems that require proper diagnosis and cannot be resolved at the tap.

For homeowners in Hinckley and the broader Leicestershire area, a plumber's call-out for a tap repair will typically cost between 80 and 150 pounds including labour, with parts on top for anything more than a basic washer. That's a fair price for a job done correctly and a guarantee that no further damage will follow from a missed diagnosis.

Questions About This Process

Why does my tap keep dripping even after I replaced the washer?

The most likely cause is a worn tap seat - the internal metal surface the washer presses against to create a seal. Over time, water pressure and mineral deposits pit this surface, making it impossible for even a new washer to seal it fully. A tap reseating tool can re-grind the surface flat and is available to hire from most tool hire outlets. It's also worth checking that the replacement washer is the correct size and is seated squarely in its recess, as a slightly mismatched washer won't seal consistently regardless of how it's fitted.

How much does a plumber in Hinckley typically charge to fix a leaking tap?

In Hinckley, most plumbers charge a call-out fee of around 50 to 80 pounds, with an hourly labour rate of 40 to 65 pounds on top of that. A standard tap washer repair usually takes under an hour, so the total cost commonly falls between 80 and 150 pounds including basic parts. More involved work - such as replacing a ceramic cartridge, reseating a tap, or fitting a new tap unit entirely - takes longer and will push costs towards the higher end of that range or beyond.

Is it worth repairing a dripping tap or should I just replace it?

For a relatively modern tap in good condition, repair is nearly always the better option. Parts are inexpensive, the work takes under an hour, and a well-maintained tap can last many more years. If the tap is old, the body is corroding, the chrome is flaking, or internal components are no longer available, replacement makes more sense. A decent mid-range mixer tap costs between 40 and 120 pounds, with fitting adding around 60 to 100 pounds in labour. Our engineers often say the deciding factor is the age and quality of the original fitting - a cheap tap that's already failing isn't worth spending time on.